Mumbai pav bhaji or Bombay pav bhaji is an extremely popular Indian street food. Made with mixed vegetables, onions, tomatoes and spices and served with buttered dinner rolls, it is out-of-this world delish and totally addictive! Instant pot and stovetop methods included.
Check out this collection of 30+ Indian vegetarian recipes, all made in the instant pot!
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About Pav Bhaji
Hit by the urge to snack on something savory and spicy? Make pav bhaji!
Pav bhaji is a much loved snack sold on the streets of Mumbai, India. I still miss digging into platefuls of this hot, spicy curry prepared right by the roadside in a make-shift stall. I just have to close my eyes, and I can see the vendor frying the veggies and flipping the buns on a sizzling tawa (griddle). Therefore, it gladdens my heart no end that I can re-create the same taste and flavors in my kitchen in Canada!
It doesn't take a ton of effort or expertise to make this street style pav bhaji at home, especially when you make it in your pressure cooker or instant pot. It comes together in 3 easy steps:
- Make the pav bhaji masala.
- Make the curry base, adding the pav bhaji masala to it.
- Halve the dinner rolls and toast them in butter until crisp.
Another recipe that has assorted vegetables is this mixed vegetable curry. It's a dry sabzi that tastes delicious with Indian breads like roti or chapati. Do check it out.
Homemade Pav Bhaji Masala (Ingredients + Method)
I love making my own pav bhaji masala. The ingredients are fresh, and you can put it together in three minutes flat... good reasons to make it and not reach for that premade mix.
Method: Put the whole spices in a dry grinder and whiz to get a fine powder, then mix in the powdered spices. And that's all there is to it!
However, if you don't have all the ingredients or can't be bothered to make it from scratch, you can easily buy pav bhaji masala from any Indian store in your neighbourhood. Everest is a good brand that I use sometimes. Two tablespoons of this spice blend usually suffices.
Curry Ingredients + Cooking
Instant Pot Instructions
When made in the instant pot, pav bhaji is a simple one-pot affair. Here's a step-by-step breakdown.
Step 1: Switch the instant pot to sauté and add the oil, followed by the butter. Add onions and fry until translucent (3 minutes). Don't allow them to get browned.
Step 2: Tip in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the tomatoes, pav bhaji masala, and salt and cook until the tomatoes break down. Add a little water if the curry becomes too dry (5 minutes).
Step 3: Add the chopped vegetables and one cup water. Cancel the sauté mode and pressure cook for 12 minutes. When you open the pot, the veggies should be well-cooked with some liquid. Like so:
Step 4: If there is a lot of liquid, press sauté again and cook for a few minutes more, mashing the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. You'll find that this is very easy to do since the veggies are very soft and well-cooked (5 minutes).
Note: You can also use an immersion blender (affiliate link) if you have one. I find it very easy to stick this in the instant pot and blend the contents lightly. Don't blend completely though... you do want some texture left in there.
Step 5: Sprinkle some lemon juice and chopped cilantro on the bhaji and add a a dollop of butter.
Note: If making this recipe in a conventional stovetop pressure cooker, follow the exact same steps as outlined above. Pressure cook for two whistles on high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the hob and let the steam release naturally.
If you like using your instant pot for making curries, do check out this collection of instant pot curries, with vegetarian options.
Stovetop Instructions
Step 1: Chop the vegetables and cook them in a saucepan with 3 cups of water. When the veggies are soft, mash them lightly with a fork or use an immersion blender to make a thick textured mash.
Step 2: Fry the onions in oil and butter until the onions are translucent. There is no need to brown them (3 minutes).
Step 3: Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté (2 minutes).
Step 4: Add the tomatoes, pav bhaji masala powder and salt. Cook until the tomatoes break down and are soft (5 minutes).
Step 5: Add the mashed vegetables and cook again until they are well-mixed into the curry base (5 minutes).
Step 6: Squeeze some lemon juice into the bhaji and garnish with chopped cilantro. Add some butter too and serve hot with dinner rolls or pav.
Preparing the Pav (Dinner Rolls)
Slice the dinner rolls and spread butter on the halves. Place the rolls buttered side down on a hot fry pan and remove when slightly browned and crisp. Repeat for all the rolls.
Serve the pav bhaji with warm dinner rolls for a complete meal.
Easy Serving Ideas
1. Pav bhaji sliders: Place some bhaji between two halves of a buttered and fried dinner roll, top it with onion rings and have it hamburger style. This is so convenient that I find myself having it this way more often than not.
2. Leftover bhaji
- Bhaji rolls: Spread some bhaji on a tortilla or naan and roll it up.
- Bhaji and rice: Mix the bhaji with rice and a little dal (lentils) for a complete meal.
- Bhaji sandwich: Place some bhaji on a slice of bread, cover with another slice and stick it in a sandwich maker or a panini press for a hot, toasted bhaji sandwich.
3. Get creative
My kids love cheese pav bhaji, and so would yours, I bet. Spread some hot bhaji on one half of a dinner roll and top with some shredded cheddar cheese or a cheese slice while it is still hot. Close with the other half of the dinner roll and dig in!
More Vegetable Curries
- Baghare Baingan - A tangy eggplant curry with coconut, sesame, peanuts, and tamarind.
- Okra Curry - Also known as bhindi masala, this one has lots of onions, tomatoes and powdered spices.
- Lauki Chana Dal - A tasty bottle gourd and lentils curry made in the instant pot.
- Aloo Curry - A simple vegan potato curry that taste terrific with poori.
- Vegetable Korma - mixed vegetables in a sauce made creamy with cashews and coconut milk.
- Punjabi Kadhi - Vegetable fritters in a tangy yogurt sauce.
📖 Recipe
Mumbai Pav Bhaji Recipe
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot Duo
- Large frypan if making stovetop pav bhaji
- Saucepan if making stovetop pav bhaji
Ingredients
Pav bhaji masala ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 black cardamom peeled
- 15 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder Use Kashmiri chilli powder if you want a vibrant color. It is also less hot than regular chilli
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon mango powder or amchur
- 1 teaspoon black salt
Other ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower small florets
- 1 cup peas
- 2 cups potatoes peeled and diced into small pieces
- 2 cups carrot diced into small pieces
- 1 onion big, chopped fine
- 1 tomato big, chopped fine
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ lemon
- extra butter for topping the bhaji and spreading on the dinner rolls
- 10 dinner rolls
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the vegetables (onion, tomato, cauliflower, carrot and potato) into small pieces and keep aside.
- Make the pav bhaji masala: Put the whole spices in a grinder and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the powdered spices. If using Everest pav bhaji masala, skip this step.
Instant Pot Method
- Switch the instant pot to sauté mode and add the oil, followed by the butter. Add onions and fry until translucent (3 minutes).
- Tip in the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, pav bhaji masala powder made in step 2 of prep, and salt. Saute until the tomatoes break down. Add a little water if the masala becomes too dry (5 minutes).
- Add the vegetables (carrot, peas, cauliflower, and potatoes), and one cup water. Cancel the sauté mode and press the pressure cooking mode (high). Make sure the vent is sealed and set the timer to 12 minutes. After the timer goes off, wait for 5 minutes, then release the pressure.
- Open the cooker, and if there is excess liquid, turn on the sauté mode again. Cook for 5 minutes more, mashing the vegetables with a potato masher or an immersion blender. You'll find that this is very easy to do since the veggies are soft and well-cooked.
Stovetop Method
- Put the cauliflower, peas, potatoes and carrot in a saucepan along with 3 cups of water. Cook until the veggies are very soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the saucepan from the hob and let it cool down a bit. Mash the vegetables lightly with a potato masher or use an immersion blender to mash them.
- Put the oil and butter in a pan and heat them. When the butter melts, add the onion and fry until the onions are translucent.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the tomatoes, pav bhaji masala made in step 2 of prep, and salt. Cook until the tomatoes soften. Add a few splashes of water to keep the masala from burning.
- Add the mashed vegetables prepared in step 1 and mix very well. Cook for 5 minutes.
Assembling the Pav Bhaji
- Squeeze the lemon over the bhaji and mix well, add a knob of butter, and sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top.
- Halve the dinner rolls and spread some butter on all the halves. Lightly fry them in a hot frypan until they are browned and crisp.
- Serve the pav bhaji on a platter with sliced onions and lemon wedges if you want.
Notes
- Pre-made pav bhaji masala is available in Indian stores everywhere. Everest is the best pav bhaji masala brand available and this is the one I use. Two tablespoons of this masala are enough. Buy this if you want to skip making your own masala.
- If you are making your own masala, all the ingredients are available in an Indian store including fennel, mango powder (amchur), black salt (kala namak) and Kashmiri chilli powder.
- Don't mash the cooked vegetables into a smooth paste. There should be some texture remaining.
Saima says
Thanks, Sonal. Do try it.
Saima says
All those veggies cannot be bad for you, right? Do try it, Sherri.
Saima says
Thanks, Annissa.
Saima says
Shelley, thanks. I hope your family enjoys eating it as much as mine does! Do let me know how it went down.
Saima says
It does bring back those memeories, doesn't it?
Saima says
Thanks, Sri Mallya. Would love to know how you make it!
Saima says
Thanks Natalie!
PG says
I often make Pav bhaji and it is a family favorite but what blew me away was your dry masala recipe. When I read the ingredients, I thought to myself it couldn't be as simple as that. But man! It hit the spot bullseye!!!! Loved it!